kcbs and the backyard cook

[pjtexas1]

i will probably never compete but lots of people seem to think what happens at comps means something to what we do in our back yards. to me it is nice that those guys go thru the expense and spend the time to get good enough to win. i know that these guys and gals work hard and i have respect for what they do and accomplish. to me it does not change how or what i do when i cook for family and friends. teams were winning years ago on Jambos...i didn't rush out and buy one. now the hot cooker is the Hunsaker...i probably will not buy that one either. myron uses lighter fluid...not for me. harry wins on a 14" wsm, damn that is amazing but i'm not switching to all charcoal because he is so successful. i really enjoy watching the bbq comp shows as it is very interesting to see how intense it gets they hand out awards.

i guess my question is how much do you emulate or change in your cooks when you hear what is happening at the kcbs level? will you switch fuel souces if your favorite team changes theirs? if more teams win using pellets, charcoal or wood does that matter to you? i have never seen this question asked that i can remember. if it has, i apologize for dragging it up again. for guys that do both do you do the same thing/fuels/processes for both?

 

[SmittyJonz]

:crazy:

 

[SmittyJonz]

Ain't there a Bank teller whose computer is down.?

 

[sudsandswine]

To me, "backyard cooking" for "eating barbecue" doesn't have a whole lot in common with KCBS comp cooking, and vice versa...at least in regards to taste and appearance. Maybe for tenderness, but even that's personal preference. So I wouldn't necessarily let the new hotness in what the comp people are doing change how I cook at home.

 

[bonehead762]

I am definitely an outlier here in the BBQ realm out here in Central Ca. but that being said, i don't hear about many BBQ cook-offs/competitions around these parts. It seems to be a thing further east of here.

Also, When I hear/read about those of you who do compete, I just think of it as a whole separate world. While a lot of people tell me they like my BBQ (I'm sure their mostly being polite), I know that I would never ever ever win some sort of cook-off. I'm also sure that most everyone here makes better BBQ than me. So, I don't even think about it.

I wonder if there are some others who also feel that BBQ competition is simply a different realm, sort of like the woodworking world having the subculture of the old school hand tool only folks (I think they affectionately call them neanderthals).

I don't even know what KCBS means...

 

[Beentown]

I don't think that KCBS comps change the way most people on this site cook but the TV shows following comps have changed how most do, or at least try out.

I would like to see the jump in numbers to this site after the big series hit the airwaves? BBQ Pitmasters and such.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[thirdeye]

i guess my question is how much do you emulate or change in your cooks when you hear what is happening at the kcbs level? will you switch fuel souces if your favorite team changes theirs? if more teams win using pellets, charcoal or wood does that matter to you? i have never seen this question asked that i can remember. if it has, i apologize for dragging it up again. for guys that do both do you do the same thing/fuels/processes for both?

I knew a couple of competition cooks before I started judging, which was in 2009, but I did pay attention to competition techniques such as trimming, seasoning, wrapping, holding etc., long before that. Not actually to duplicate their "turn-in" quality of food, but just to fine tune the quality and presentation of my backyard food. Ribs and chicken skin are good examples. 15 years ago when Bill Millroy starting sharing his rib wrapping method I tried it and liked the results. And about the same time when Jumpin' Jim posted about bite thru skin, I listened and tried it out, problem was I'm not a big sauce guy. When people started posting about scraping skin, I gave that a try too and really liked the results. I took a competition cooks class a few years ago which was very informative but to be honest I took more notes about the prep work and rubs and seasonings work than I did about box arrangement. I still use many of those techniques.... So, I can honestly say I have tried other methods of cooking, many of which were born on the competition trail, and some have worked for me well enough to be in my arsenal.

 

[70monte]

I have no interest in competition BBQ but I will try things from pretty much anyone if it sounds good or reasonable. I've taken a couple of classes from Chris Marks who used to compete at the KCBS level and I think still does and I'm sure some of the stuff he teaches is what he has used in competition.

As far as using products that are used in competition, I think everyone has to some extent. I know I have. I also use stuff that I've seen on here or other BBQ groups or forums I am a member of. That is why I have way too many grills/smokers, seasonings, and BBQ accessories.

 

[BBQchef33]

I've competed for 13 years. 15 years AFTER getting my first real BBQ. So that puts me almost 30 years of mixed BBQ. What I will offer is and 180 degree view of the original question.

1: competition BBQ and Backyard(or i like to call it "eating") BBQ are 2 different things. Competition BBQ must have the 'WOW' factor, where you convince the judge that your BBQ is the best thing since sliced pineapples in one(maybe 2) bites. What I produce for the judges is very rich, some may say over seasoned and it would be difficult to eat alot of it(except chicken, i cook that the same for backyard.) So it would be goofy to use these techniques when you know your friends are gonna pig out.

2: Techniques unique to one obviously can be carried to the other, but i feel alot of techniques i learned competing improved my backyard BBQ, but theres not alot of 'unique' techniques in backyard that arent already in comp. Recipes were pretty much not interchangeable unless folks were just sampling.

3: The part of competing, and i think addresses the original post directly, but is the opposite of what you expected and asked about. Once i started competing and slowly over time(a few years), it was my backyard BBQ that suffered instead of improving. My neighbors and friends may disagree, but to me, the creativity I enjoyed inventing and experimenting in the early days disappeared as I tried to perfect my competition techniques and recipes. I was concentrating on the Big 4 for the judges, not the backyard full of family and friends. In competiton, the goal is NOT to offend the judges, keep it balanced and dont use weird flavors or too much heat. Consistency is a key in competition and without realizing it, it overflowed into my backyard, to the point i was scraping chicken skin and making chicken pillows on a thursday night. I was cooking competition BBQ every weekend, same techniques, and trying to tweak the same recipes. My family(and I) was getting sick of it to the point where i would cook stuff and give it away to neighbors. Gone was the days of sitting in the yard on weekends making ABTS, rack attacks, shish kabobs, Cheesy breads, all the fun stuff and experimentation. Im loving my unsauced ribs now, and my oddly shaped pieces of chicken and whole roasters, tritips, pork tenderloins, cheesey breads, fatties.. BACK TO THE BACKYARD and feeding vets.. its awesome, and alot less stress.


There are many unusual things you would find in our archives before many of us started competing and BBQ Pitmasters and BBQ Competition hit big on TV. Theres a reason when one of us goes to their 1st competition and gets a walk and a trophy, we say "Welocme to the dark side". They are doomed.. Bitten by the bug. I dont know if GC'ing in my very first competition was a a blessing or a curse, but it was the start of a 13 year run, 3 trips to the jack and 6 to the American Royal. Had alot of fun, and learned alot, but now retired from competition, concentrate on feeding veterans, families stricken by cancer or homeless/displaced folks.

 

[Jousting Pigs]

The only thing that really changes for me cooking backyard versus competition is the trim. For competition I'm trimming my flat and point way down to be a consistent width. Pork I trim to expose more of the horn and money muscle. I use all the same rubs, injections, sauces, and basic timeline. The biggest difference is at home I usually spatchcock whole chicken instead of cooking all thighs. I've even catered a few events using the recipes and gotten rave reviews.

I see a lot of people say competition bbq is too rich to eat a bunch at one sitting but I disagree. While I'm not one of the top teams I've had a lot of their food and would gladly eat a plateful in one sitting. Maybe I'm in the minority but I really enjoy competition style at home.

 

[BBQchef33]

pretty interesting... its an age old debate... and it continues..

if you use the google search at the bottom, and search Pellet vs stick, its shows a minimum of 10 pages of hits. So this debate has been going on forever.. I know its not really the question the OP asked, but just shows you, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Im waiting for the BBQ Purist to chime in. You know, the ones who really dont exist "unless they cook in a hole in the ground. " 10 years ago, i was accused of being "jealous" of pellet cookers because I didnt have one.....that was laughable since i had more pits than i was able to use.. and I was very happy on my Klose BYC.

Heres just a few results. I didnt read them all, but im pretty sure they have similar responses.

https://www.google.com/url?q=http:/...:7tglly3ft5s&usg=AOvVaw2PZYoChXuW-n5UW2-KwhxQ

https://www.google.com/url?q=https:...:7tglly3ft5s&usg=AOvVaw0C-fULcVDZXZ4fnarnAf66

https://www.google.com/url?q=https:...:7tglly3ft5s&usg=AOvVaw1_JkaE9gcLd8sLtSFzNT0p

https://www.google.com/url?q=https:...:7tglly3ft5s&usg=AOvVaw2Zki9aH9d0lvoarvTdXOCK

https://www.google.com/url?q=https:...:7tglly3ft5s&usg=AOvVaw3rj0WrfBu89gWuwxHj4I1T

https://www.google.com/url?q=http:/...:7tglly3ft5s&usg=AOvVaw1nwZWXcpGD2bLaKelAgNti

 

[Ayvatr]

I pretty much cook my backyard Q the same way as we do in a KCBS event. However, I refuse to scrape chicken skin for friends and family. Besides, after a few adult beverages it all tastes great! I’ve always cooked on a stick burner so I don’t really have an opinion ether way whether one style of cooker is better than another. Heck, part of the fun for me is firing up the beast, managing the fire, hanging out and making it a neighborhood social event!

 

[16Adams]

As an advanced beginner and MSU Artiste I would get bounced from comps- by rule or my own resignation. To me the beauty of cooking is new tastes, rubs, smoke, coals etc etc.
not one bone in my smoke covered soul has a desire (ability or willingness) to do the same thing twice. To get the same results/twice. To perfect and repeat- twice. I thoroughly enjoy the cooking shows- the true pit masters many generations in, or the feel good passed down to an employee joint who owns the building but not the land.
BBQ it’s history it’s passion it’s well everything is a new experience every time I cook. I love golf fly fishing target shooting etc etc. But I prefer the different MSU Experience.

The discipline involved in competition to repeat repeat repeat- that’s not me. Discipline requires a natural or learned skill level.
I’d get bounced.

 

[Burnt at Both Endz]

The discipline involved in competition to repeat repeat repeat- that’s not me. Discipline requires a natural or learned skill level.
I’d get bounced.

Trust me, when you "think" have it all figured out, two judges tell you that you don't have a clue of what you are doing.:doh:

 

[BBQchef33]

The only thing that really changes for me cooking backyard versus competition is the trim. For competition I'm trimming my flat and point way down to be a consistent width. Pork I trim to expose more of the horn and money muscle. I use all the same rubs, injections, sauces, and basic timeline. The biggest difference is at home I usually spatchcock whole chicken instead of cooking all thighs. I've even catered a few events using the recipes and gotten rave reviews.

I see a lot of people say competition bbq is too rich to eat a bunch at one sitting but I disagree. While I'm not one of the top teams I've had a lot of their food and would gladly eat a plateful in one sitting. Maybe I'm in the minority but I really enjoy competition style at home.

True story...

Friend of mine loves my competition brisket. Its the dead of summer...Party at my house, around midnight I pull out one of the smaller briskets for folks to try. Most ate a few slices and tapped out.. Paul continued to eat..

and eat...

and eat...

goes home with his wife around 3AM.

the next morning i get a phone call from his wife..

***Quoted as closely as I can remember. ***

"What did you do to my husband!!!??
He came home, laid in bed, burped and it stunk up the bedroom like smoke. He gets up, heads to the bathroom and didnt make it. He barfed brisket all over the bedroom carpet, the walls and half the bathroom, and now my bedroom smells like smoke and brisket and beer." :twitch::twitch::twitch: ound: ound:

Personally, I blamed the beer(and maybe the tequilla shots)

Honestly, my comp brisket is a 2-3 slice brisket.. VERY rich marinade thats goes in when i foil it... a couple, maybe 3-4 slices is all most folks can handle.

 

[BBQchef33]

As an advanced beginner and MSU Artiste I would get bounced from comps- by rule or my own resignation. To me the beauty of cooking is new tastes, rubs, smoke, coals etc etc.
not one bone in my smoke covered soul has a desire (ability or willingness) to do the same thing twice. To get the same results/twice. To perfect and repeat- twice. I thoroughly enjoy the cooking shows- the true pit masters many generations in, or the feel good passed down to an employee joint who owns the building but not the land.
BBQ it’s history it’s passion it’s well everything is a new experience every time I cook. I love golf fly fishing target shooting etc etc. But I prefer the different MSU Experience.

The discipline involved in competition to repeat repeat repeat- that’s not me. Discipline requires a natural or learned skill level.
I’d get bounced.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This right here is IT... and this is where I regret spending all the time trying to perfect the big 4 and become consistent. It took away from me all that I knew BBQ was... i forgot about the fun and went for the win.

Not anymore.

 

[dadsr4]

I've gone to comps and wandered around, looking at cookers and talking to people. If I'm offered a taste of something, I try it and say thanks. Then I go home and cook BBQ.
It's kind of like professional dancing. Interesting to watch, but I'd rather see everyday people in normal clothes and less makeup just having fun. Or professional baseball vs Little League.

 

[medic92]

For me personally I could just never get into the idea of cooking for a comp. My style is more of a minimalist style that uses rubs to enhance the flavor of the meat and I don't think I could change that to get the "wow" factor KCBS judges look for.

Now that I run a concession trailer selling barbecue I think I'd have to compete in the professional category which I find personally hilarious. I'm nothing more than a backyard hack that found out people tend to like my food. I don't have 1/10th of the creativity the fine folks on here possess and I don't think it would be worth wasting the time of the judges with my entries.

 

[Untraceable]

I have a lot of fun competing. But competing is the opposite of everything bbq was starting out. I long for the day to return to cooking for fun and creativity. I have learned a lot competing, acquired some fun tools in the process. Getting a kick out of drum cooking now though. Not wasting all day cooking ribs/brisket for the 1 millionth time, no gurus, just open the vents and cook.

 

[el luchador]

teams were winning years ago on Jambos...i didn't rush out and buy one. now the hot cooker is the Hunsaker...i probably will not buy that one either. myron uses lighter fluid...not for me. harry wins on a 14" wsm, damn that is amazing but i'm not switching to all charcoal because he is so successful.

youve got guys winning on charcoal, wood, pellets, side offset, water smokers, bullet smokers, and drums. I think the moral of the story here, as has often been repeated, is

.

It's the cook, not the cooker!

.